Another round of Kodachrome photos from the ACL collection. More fishing and lots of posing in this set. Fishing seems to have been a huge pastime, or it just was with people that shot Kodachrome. I should also point out that the husky gent with all of the camera equipment around his neck in the third photo is one of the people that took a lot of these pictures.
This past Project trade show I had the pleasure of moderating a little panel of brands that are on the rise, one of which was the seemingly unstoppable The Brooklyn Circus. The brand started in 2006 as a store in Brooklyn, then expanded by opening an outpost in San Francisco and ultimately it launched a collection under its own BKc mark. I first met BKc founder Ouigi (Wee-g; pictured above) in Las Vegas (of all places) back in 2008. I was impressed with the man’s style back then and it seems things have only gotten better. The Brooklyn Circus is definitely doing their thing, not only creating great clothing (nearly all in the USA I should add), they are creating a movement and I am all for it. I like what BKc is doing more than almost anyone out there right now. Ouigi and the BKc are easily some of the best that ever did it, and I hope it continues. [The Brooklyn Circus]
The folks at Ralph Lauren invited me up to their newly redone Rhinelander Mansion at 72nd Street & Madison for a preview of the new shop. Obviously my favorite part of the store is the RRL shop on the third floor. Stepping into The Mansion is an instant reminder of RL’s unmatched ability to create the finest retail experience on the earth. After this morning I feel comfortable in saying that no one does it better. Mind blowing would be an apt description.
The RRL shop has a few different exclusive items that you won’t find at any of the other stores — from deadstock duck camo ties to a tasty oil cloth trench coat — there are also a few different new made in the USA boots (like the Bowery Boot that was featured on ACL a while back) including a shell cordovan option. One other new addition on offer at the Mansion RRL shop is a selection of tailored sport coats and vests made from various tweeds, including a good selection of Harris Tweed clothing and accessories.
While the Melrose RRL store is still my favorite, this new uptown RRL is a worthy destination. More coverage of The Mansion’s update coming soon.
These videos from the Pendleton Woolen Mills plant in Washougal, Washington seemed especially poignant after the recent post on The Good Flock. The tour basically provides you with more than you would ever need to know about how Pendleton blankets are made. But I think the process is interesting and it is good to see the production of such an iconic American product remains stateside.
Take the train from Grand Central to New Haven and go straight to J. Press at 262 York Street. A few years ago I had the great pleasure of working for the company (sort of a dream come true at the time) and I would occasionally make the trip up to New Haven or Cambridge for business. When we went to Yale we would go by the Yankee Doodle and have hamburgers. The great part of the J. Press store in New Haven was the fact that it still exists. The New York store sort of moved around and never felt perfect (even when it was around the corner from 346 on 44th Street), but New Haven always felt right. In the store there would be nary a student in sight — save maybe someone on an errand for a school boy scarf during the colder months or a guy in need of a repp tie.
The clientele has aged with the company, but the bones of the brand are still there. And never call it preppy. J. Press is “Ivy League style,” because this isn’t prep school. The sack suit is like acid in the eyes of “the kids,” a name my friends and I have for the younger style-set that don’t necessarily get J. Press. I’m not yet an old man, but I have a certain fondness for the sack — even if it is unflattering. I like the natural shoulder too, because that’s about as American as it gets. Like most things, many feel that J. Press isn’t the same chap he was 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago — though some still swear by it. Likely, more the former than the latter. The Japanese have owned it for years and years, but still Press carries on. You can’t say that about a lot of companies or clothing lines. When you think about it, many a mighty brand have fallen and disappeared during Press’s watch. Even the Doodle is gone, as is Mory’s…yet Press persists.
J. Press founder Jacobi Press in New Haven, Conn.
